Media access with mount and fstab

MOUNT UP

This month we look at tools for mounting and unmounting storage media.

The penguin does not use Windows-style drive letters – instead, Linux attaches media directly to the directory tree in a process known as mounting, which is performed either at boot time or using manual commands. There’s a place for everything in the Linux filesystem tree; device files for devices of all kinds, such as network devices, removable media, or hard disk partitions, can typically be found below the /dev (for "device") directory. Name Game

IDE device names (the names of hard disks, CD-ROM, or DVD drives) start with hd (for "hard disk"); the letter that then follows depends on the connector and the order. Each controller provides two connectors; the first connector is called the master and the second the slave. The device names are: hda (master) and hdb (slave) for the devices attached to the first controller. Devices on the second controller are known as hdc (master) and hdd (slave).

Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of the LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine. com